The present disclosure relates to an image forming system, terminal, server, image forming apparatus and image forming method, and more particularly to an image forming system, terminal, server, image forming apparatus and image forming method for managing documents.
Conventionally, there are image forming apparatuses such as multifunction machines, copiers and the like that are capable of printing documents and images.
In recent years, the spread of image forming apparatuses is increasing, and anyone can easily copy documents. Moreover, converting documents to document data such as PDF and the like, and performing an exchange of documents among users is becoming common. Together with this, leakage of confidential documents such as company confidential documents and the like that are not to be viewed by anyone other than authorized persons is becoming a large problem.
In order to handle these problems, there is a technique called watermarking (tint block). Watermarks are areas that are encoded so as not to be conspicuous in a document, and are written together with information that includes a specific mark.
For example, there are watermarks that are configured such that when a dot pattern of a tint block is read and copied, warning text “Confidential” emerges. Moreover, there is also a system that embeds source information such as information about the MFP that printed the document, the printing date and the like.
Here, as an example of this kind of conventional technology, there is technology that is described in which in a typical example, an access log of access to a document is created based on a processing request by a user, a digital watermark is created from a log ID, that digital watermark is combined with a watermark (tint block) such as “Confidential” or the like, and added to the document. Moreover, in this typical example, the document ID is acquired by extracting the combined log ID from this watermark, and when reading the document, the owner is notified that there is a processing request for the document.
With the technology of this typical example, it is possible to know when a confidential document is improperly leaked.